Thanks to our occasional contributors, Peter and Sara, for this great Starlight Mints review.

Uh oh, another post by those glory hounds in Portland, OR. One of the things we miss about Oklahoma is getting to see the Starlight Mints. Seeing that they had released a new album, we hoped they would make a stop in Portland for a concert… and they did!

We have seen them in venues around Oklahoma, but this was our first time seeing them away from their native land, on a full-blown tour. The new tour brought, at least for the Doug Fir, a new stage configuration – drummer Andy Nunez moved to the back and keyboardist Marian Love Nunez brought to the front. The Nunezs, along with lead singer/guitar Allen Vest, bassist Javier Gonzales, and keyboardist/guitarist Ryan Lindsey performed a great set. Despite a few minor sound glitches at the very beginning, the Mints’ performance was tight and they played with a new level of energy. The set included a fairly equal mix of each of their four albums. Half of their new album, Change Remains, was played throughout the night.

Read more after the jump…

Setlist:

1. ( ) unreleased song of which we could not name…sorry
2. Pumpkin (mp3)
3. Zoomba (mp3)
4. Paralyzed (mp3)
5. Eyes of the Night
6. Power Bleed
7. Rhino Stomp
8. The Bee
9. Natural
10. Submarine #3
11. Black Champagne
12. Black Cat
13. Pages
14. The Bandit
15. Irene

Encore

16) Popsickle
17) Valerie Flames

The opening act, JP Inc., was hilarious! This indie rock/comedian was a one-man laugh-maker. JP Inc. was deceptively simple – you see one guy and a projector screen on stage. But, when you listen to the pre-recorded backup music and see the videos, you realize the effort placed into the performance. And let’s not neglect the mini costume changes. It seems like ‘lead man’ JP Hasson was originally a commercial jingle writer wishing to broaden his horizons… and we’re glad he did. He has a new album to be released on itunes and a few videos will appear on ComedyCentral.com. JP Inc. definitely seems like an up-and-coming comedic musician.

JP Inc.

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The Mints